


stay

by gemini_hyuck



Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop, choi san - Fandom
Genre: ATEEZ (Band) Are Pirates, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:20:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemini_hyuck/pseuds/gemini_hyuck
Summary: in which maybe san is soft for the new girl. maybe.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Reader, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi San/Reader, Jeong Yunho/Reader, Jung Wooyoung/Reader, Kang Yeosang/Reader, Kim Hongjoong/Reader, Park Seonghwa/Reader, Song Mingi/Reader
Kudos: 36





	stay

ateez was a well known and feared pirate crew. they took no prisoners and sailed fearlessly destroying anything that stood in their path. one was particularly ruthless. choi san was his name. he was heartless, more than the rest of them. while the rest of the crew may not have been as bad as they were made out to be choi san lived up to his reputation.he never hesitated, he killed with the precision of a professional, and could get into anywhere undetected. he was like a machine, never resting until the job was done. and that made him very dangerous.

i grew up in a poor family on the docks. my father worked long hours to provide for my family but i knew it wasn’t enough. we couldn’t keep up with the constant taxes, the debt was building up. the day finally came when we couldn’t pay off what we needed too. the tax collector gave my father a deal. he would either give me up and consider the debt paid, or keep me and be removed from their home with none of their belongings. y/f/n refused at first. how could he give away his only daughter? his only child? i shook my head though. 

“no. take me. let them stay here. and make sure they are well fed.” i said as i stood. my father took my hand as i moved towards the man. his eyes were full of pain and his mouth opened and closed like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. i gave him a small smile of reassurance as i carefully pried his hand off my arm. “i’ll be okay. i promise.” 

needless to say, life with the tax collectors was hell. i was pushed around, treated like a maid, and used whenever they wanted some fun. i had grown so used to feeling of being struck i hardly even flinched. one day i decided to try to escape. i waited until one of the men untied me to take me to bed and launched myself at him with all my strength. i managed to knock him down but he was much stronger. he kicked me backwards and i landed on the embers of the fire they had just put out. i screamed in pain and wretched myself forwarded. he had grabbed me and beat me until i couldn’t see. it was weeks until i had healed enough to work again. they were not happen. my work and torture had increased tenfold. finally i tried again. i again waited until one of the men untied me. this time i was ready. i had snuck a small poker into my hand and slipped the end into the fire. the iron was nearly molten when my hands were freed. i grabbed the poker and struck him across the face. he went down screaming and i ran. i ran straight through the door out to the docks. i jumped into the first rowboat i saw, using the poker to break the rope holding it then tossing it into the sea. i saw the rest of the men run out of the house looking around. one spotted me and yelled to the rest. i frantically set the oars and started rowing as hard as i could. they hopped in their own boats when then got to the dock and started to come after me.

after being chased a while i spotted a ship in the distance. i started to yell and scream for help. the ship slowly turned in my direction and i cried out in relief. i turned back to the men only to see them turning their boats and rowing away quickly as the ship got closer i recognized the flag on the mast. the symbol of the infamous pirate crew ateez. my eyes widened in horror and i turned as fast as i could trying to move the boat away. i turned a bit too hard and boat tipped. i ended up in the water thrashing. suddenly i felt someone’s arms around my waist pulling me up. figuring it was one of the pirates i thrashed harder. my rescuer yanked me above the water and they both paused, breathing heavily. then i remember i was in the arms of a pirate.

“get of me! get! off! me!” i yelled as i started struggling. 

“stop struggling woman i am not gonna hurt you!” he sounded exasperated. my struggling slowed to a stop. i nodded slowly the ship drew in and a ladder dropped down for us. he helped me up first then climbed up after. when we got to the top, swords and guns were pointed at me. my eyes went wide and my hands flew up. the man behind me just sighed.

“guys can we not? i just saved her.” one of the men, shorter than the rest holstered his pistol slowly and motioned for the rest to do the same. i stepped back slowly then spun grabbing the knife where it was back at the man’s side and pointed it towards them. they all froze, hands on their weapons. the shorter man moved forward careful with his hands raised. i turned the knife towards him quickly.

“not another step.” he nodded once then locked eyes with the man behind me. he moved to stand in front of me taking my focus.

“we are not going to hurt you. if we were i would’ve just killed you in the water or take you back to them.” he reasoned. i lowered the knife slowly as i realized he was right. he could’ve killed me or taken me back, instead he had jumped overboard to help me. i handed the knife back to him with a sheepish look. he smiled down at me. “but that was a smooth spin, i didn’t see it coming at all.” i blushed slightly at the compliment and offered him a small smile in return. he stuck his hand out and i took it. “jung wooyoung.” 

“han y/n.” i replied. wooyoung turned so he was at my side instead of in front of me. 

“this is the crew. kim hongjoong, our leader.” the shorter man nodded to me with a grin. “park seonghwa. he’s the oldest and a bit of a mom.” he smiled kindly at me and i blushed again at his good looks. “jeong yunho. don’t let his height scare you he’s basically a puppy.” yunho gave me a big smile and i was reminded of the beautiful golden retrievers i often saw on the beach. “kang yeosang. he doesn’t smile much but he’s kind i promise. he’s also our medic, keeps us alive.” he nodded like hongjoong, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly. “song mingi, the other puppy of our group.” as mingi smiled his eye turned into crescents and i internally melted. “choi jongho is our youngest. he also the strongest.” he gave a small wave and i smiled at him. wooyoung turned to the last person, a white haired man about his height, but he was already walking away. he sighed and turned back to me. “and would be choi san.” i gulped as i watched him disappear around a corner. 

“choi san? as in kills everything in his path or mildly irritates him choi san?” wooyoung grinned at my expression and opened his mouth to speak but hongjoong beat him too it.

“well not everything that irritates him. wooyoungie here would be dead by now if that were true. he smothers him in affection.” they laughed at that. seonghwa rushed over to me with a blanket.   
“let me take you to your room. i put some dry clothes there for you to change into. they might be a bit big but we don’t really have clothes for women here.” he smiled apologetically and i could see the motherly traits wooyoung had mentioned.

“thank you so much. i’m sure the clothes will be fine.” he looked reassured after that as he lead me to my room. 

“i’ll wait outside as you change so i can take your clothes and wash them if you’d like?” i nodded and smiled at him.

“that would be wonderful thank you!” he smiled widely at that. i stepped into the room and sure enough there were clothes on the bed. a loose maroon cotton button down and a pair of khaki colored cotton pants that tapered at the ankles. there was a drawstring to tighten or loosen them. i was grateful for his choice of clothes. i slipped off my wet clothes, wincing when they dragged over my burn scars. the collectors were not very kind. i pulled on the dry clothes, tucking in the maroon shirt slightly and leaving a few buttons undone. i tied the drawstring so the pants would fit a bit better. to my surprise they weren’t too big around the waist. the sleeves had buttons so they could be tighter around the wrists but i left them open. as i dressed i couldn’t help but noticed that they smelled amazing. like fresh pine, something floral like rose? and slight bit of mint. i gathered my wet clothes and the blanket and opened the door. seonghwa was leaned against the door frame talking quietly with hongjoong. he noticed me and took the clothes and blanket from me with a smile. 

“i’m going to go wash these, hongjoong is going to take you to the kitchen. we figured you must be hungry.” hongjoong turned to me with a smile and held out his hand. i took it and he pulled me to the kitchen where wooyoung and san were leaned against the counter. wooyoung had his arms around san’s waist leaning toward his face. san looked unbothered, his head tilted upwards to avoid wooyoung. i couldn’t help but notice his sharp features. hongjoong sighed loudly and wooyoung turned towards us. 

“y/n! hyung!” he released us and bounded over. he wrapped me up in a big hug and my eyes widened in surprise. hongjoong smacked his arm.

“be careful woo? we don’t want to scare her off.” wooyoung released me and pouted at hongjoong. i just smiled and patted his head. 

“he’s okay he just surprised me is all.” wooyoung smiled brightly at that and hugged me again. he let go, stuck out his tongue at hongjoong then ran out of the kitchen. san smirked darkly as he pushed himself off the wall.

“my clothes look good on you sweetheart.” my eyes widened again as he walked passed me. my nose caught the scent of pine, rose, and mint. the same scent from the clothes. hongjoong just shoved his back as he walked out. 

“don’t let him get to you he’s just trying to get under your skin. thinks it’s funny.” i internally rolled my eyes. funny? okay. i went to my room and put on one of mingi’s shirts i had borrowed. it went down to my mid-thigh, showing off my legs. i grabbed my shorts from my now dry clothes and threw them on as well. they barely covered my butt and were hidden by the shirt. i went back down and asked hongjoong where he was. upon entering the common room i saw san sitting on the couch. i walked across the room and bent down looking through the books in the crate. i heard san inhale sharply then he got up and left. i smirked to myself as i straightened. 

going back to my room to change i met san in the hallway coming out of his room. his eyes locked with mine and he walked towards me. i backed up quickly as he got closer until my back hit the door. he got right into my face, smirked when i shut my eyes tightly then leaned to the side.“you should be careful who you screw with sweetheart.” he tugged my earlobe lightly with his teeth then backed up. when i opened my eyes he was gone. i stood there for a few seconds then shook my head, trying to snap out of it. you wanna play choi san? alright. let’s play.   
for the next week i wore san’s clothes making sure he got used to seeing me in them. he would make a comment and i would roll my eyes, leaving the room before he could. then i asked seonghwa if i could borrow a shirt from him. he got me one right away and i smiled in thanks. i knocked on san’s door, the shirts and pants i had borrowed washed and folded in my hands. he opened the door and internally my heart stopped. he had obviously been laying down his hair was messy and he wore a thin white tank top. he raised a slit eyebrow at me in question and i handed him his clothes with a sickly sweet and fake smile.

“thanks for letting me borrow your clothes sweetheart!” i said. his eyes narrowed as he noticed i was wearing seonghwa’s shirt and not one of his. he took the clothes from my hands and turned around kicking the door shut in my face. nice. 

i continued the cycle for following weeks. wearing his clothes until he got used to it them wearing another member’s clothes, walking out the room when he came in, ignoring his comments. one day was particularly rewarding. he had growled, actually growled when i handed him his clothes. it was working. the comments had come to an abrupt stop and he seemed to get the hint that i didn’t want to see him. i laughed to myself as i walked down to the common room. woo looked up from the couch, a knowing smile on his face. i sat down next him and let my head fall to his shoulder.

“still doing that “piss of choi san as much as possible” thing?” i nodded and he laughed ruffling my hair. in the short amount of time i had spent with the crew wooyoung and i had grown as close as siblings. we discovered he was older than me by a month. “you might want to be careful with that. while i fully encourage and support messing with san he can be ruthless if you actually piss him off. just don’t go too far okay?” i nodded again and we sat in silence for a while. it was almost night, both of us tired. i scooted in closer, enjoying his body heat. slowly we fell asleep on the couch. 

i woke up the next morning in my bed in my pajamas which were just one of yunho’s giant shirts and a pair of soft shorts. i blushed slightly knowing one of the boys had changed me. then they widened as i realized they might’ve seen my scars. i sat up and stretched, wincing as my back cracked. i pulled my hair into a messy bun and went to brush my teeth. i went downstairs deciding not to change just yet. all the boys were sitting around the table eating breakfast. seonghwa smiled as i sat between him and yunho and slid me a bowl of cereal. yunho nudged my shoulder then tugged on the shirt with a sly smile. i shoved him back and grinned up at him. i had learned that yunho gave the best hugs when needed, hongjoong was the best at advice, seonghwa was the best cook, woo and mingi liked to make up fun games to play, yeosang was the best reading partner, surprisingly willing to let me borrow his books, and jongho had a beautiful singing voice. 

“hey thank you guys for bringing me up to my room last night. i really appreciate it.” they all looked confused but wooyoung, and san.

“that was san hyung actually that brought you to your room. he found us sleeping on the couch, woke me up, then picked you up and took you to your room.” woo said. all eyes turned to san who shrugged.

“you never do that for any of us.” yunho complained. san just rolled his eyes.

“that’s because half of you are giants and i don’t have to. besides she’s a lady. i wasn’t going to wake her up.” hongjoong raised an eyebrow. 

“since when have you cared about that?” san sighed, brushing a hand through his snow white hair. 

“since now.” he said, getting up. he stopped beside me and held out his hand. i looked up at him confused and he motioned to my empty bowl. i wordlessly handed it to him. we all watched as he walked into the kitchen. then all eyes turned to me. woo quirked an eyebrow then his eyes widened.

“oh my god. i knew it! you guys are totally hooking up behind our backs!” the rest of the guys’ eyes widened along with mine.

“what?! no!” i squeaked out in surprise. “we are not hooking up! we’re avoiding each other. he doesn’t like me. i don’t like him. simple as that.” hongjoong just chuckled.

“i wouldn’t say he doesn’t like you y/n. he doesn’t carry anyone he just wakes us up. and he’s never done our dishes. ever. he just doesn’t do that stuff.” i tilted my head in confusion and yunho patted my head.

“he likes you dumb dumb. or he wants your attention at least. either way you’ve got his full focus.” yunho smirked as i turned beat red. wooyoung rolled his eyes as he stood up, grabbing his bowl. 

“stop tormenting the poor girl.” he said, dragging me to the kitchen which was, thankfully, empty. “look i don’t know if san actually likes you or not but you definitely have his attention. i think that you should to stop trying to pissing him off.” i nodded in agreement and we head back out. 

for the next month i was kinder to him and noticed the same from him. he started taking my dishes every morning, starting conversations, leaving clothes in my room for me. he liked to sit beside me on the the couch and read whatever i was reading at the moment. woo joined us occasionally and i’d have both boys’ heads on my shoulders. he started cracking jokes and telling me stories of their adventures. and i began to fall for the white haired boy. 

the day before we were supposed to dock at a city port things went south. san had come downstairs only to find woo and i in a compromising position. wooyoung had try to mess me up reading by reading random lines so i had pulled the book away. he had leaned over me to get and thats when san had come down. woo was inches from my face, body on top of mine. my hand was on his chest trying to push him off but it looked like something was happening. he had turned around and gone back to his room, slamming the door.

i stayed up all night thinking about how i could fix what had happened. i was yanked out of my thoughts by hongjoong knocking on my door in the morning.

“y/n you might want to get up and get dressed. we’re docking soon.” i nodded, changing quickly then went up to the main deck. woo smiled and ruffled my now free hair as i stood next to him.   
“stay with me okay? it’s a big city i don’t want you to get lost.” i nodded, smiling at his thoughtfulness. we walked onto the dock and split off in groups. woo and i and mingi and yunho were free to wander and explore as the rest rounded up supplies. we were in a little shop that carried fabrics when woo grabbed my arm. he pulled me out of the shop and around a corner into an alley. i looked up at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

“soldiers and collectors.” he whispered back. “not a huge fan of us.” his eyes narrowed as he looked past me and he slipped his gun out of it’s holster. i turned around and there at the end of the alley was a man. woo pushed me behind him as he stepped forward firing at the man. he returned fire ducking for cover around the alley wall. my back was turned to the entrance we came in focusing on the man in front of me when a bag went over my head. i thrashed around and screamed for wooyoung. i felt myself being yanked backwards then forwards then backwards again. i heard a gunshot and wooyoung yelled in pain. i screamed out again struggling to get the bag off. i had to see if he was going to make it. i was dragged back as they bound my hands behind me and i heard a familiar voice in my ear. 

“good to see you again y/n.” my eyes widened as i realized who it was. i dug my heels in trying to slow them as they dragged me. i screamed out for anyone to help but no one seemed to hear. the terrain changed and i felt the ridges of wood planks. we were on the dock. away from the crew. i started to give up, tears filling my eyes then i remembered. san had stayed on board to protect the ship. he was on the main deck. tears flooded my cheeks as i screamed his name as loud as i could. my last hope. they froze but nothing. nothing happened. no one was coming. suddenly i heard them shouting. then gunshots. bodies hit the ground around me. the bag was yank off of my head and i flinched back, struggling to adjust to the sudden sun in my eyes. the was a gun leveled at my head. i scooted back as fast as i could but he pinned me down, putting his boot on my throat. 

“stupid bitch. you’ll never escape us. we’ll always find you no matter where you run. those scars on your back won’t be your last. i swear i’ll-” there was a gun shot and his body fell to the floor. there was san standing above me. he was pissed as he took in my state. hand tied behind my back, hair disheveled from the bag, tears streaming from wide eyes. he cut my bonds carefully, not saying a word. the second my hands were free i launched myself at him.

“thank you.” i cried softly. “thank you so much.” his body was stiff at first then relaxed into me. his arms folded around my back pulling me closer, his hands rubbed up and down my sides soothingly.

“you’re okay, you’re okay. you’re safe now.” he pulled back slowly and brushed my hair out of my face. “hey look at me. did they hurt you?” i shook my head and he breathed out a sigh of relief. i looked behind him. noticing for the first time the rest of the guys. wooyoung, knowing i was looking for him, hopped forward. he was leaning on yeosang for support, his leg bandaged. he was looking towards the ground as he came forward.

“i’m okay y/n.” he mumbled. i took his face in my hands, wiping his tears. “i’m sorry!” he cried out suddenly. “it’s all my fault you were taken. i should’ve been paying more attention.” i frowned at that.

“hey hey hey no no.” i shushed him pulling him into a hug. “you were saving us from another enemy. if anything i should’ve been watching your back. and look i’m completely fine. okay? i promise you i’m completely fine.” the rest of the guys surrounded us adding to the hug. as we walked back to the ship they filled in the missing pieces. the others had gotten back to the ship with the supplies and had asked san if we were back. he said he hadn’t then wooyoung had limped his way back to the ship yelling about how i’d been taken. then san heard me scream his name. woo had collapsed from blood loss and they turned to tend to him. when they turned back around san was gone. they found his aiming his pistol at the man threatening my life. the rest of the men laid around him. they were all dead. his eyes were cold and unforgiving as he pulled the trigger. 

when we got back to the ship san walked with me to the bedrooms. i went to step into mine but he took my hand, pulling me gently into to his instead. he handed me some clothes and turned around so i could change. a soft cotton long sleeve that fell just above my knee and some shorts. i put my clothes in the basket he showed me and tapped him once i had finished. he turned around and took my hand, leading me over to the bed. he relaxed back first keeping himself semi upright with some pillows. he reached out for me and maneuvered me between his legs. his chest was against my back; i felt every rise and fall. he ran his hands down my arms until he got to my wrists. we sat in silence for a moment while he gently massaged the marks the rope left. 

“did those men give you your scars?” he asked softly. i stiffened against him and he spoke again. “i saw them when i changed you. i was staying behind you as to not violate your privacy and i noticed them. and that man earlier mentioned them.” he was being careful in his words, intertwining his fingers with mine. i nodded, looking down at our now joined hands.

“i had tried to escape before you guys found me. i was shoved backwards onto fresh embers. that’s why they’re little dots not one big burn. it took almost a month and a half for them to heal.” he shook his head behind me and i turned to look at him. “i’m okay now. i’ve found a home here with the guys and with you.”

“me?” he asked. when i nodded his eyes turned sad. “no. i don’t deserve someone like you. i’m a murderer y/n. i kill people. i hurt them. and i don’t want you to be one of those people. you should be with someone like wooyoung or yunho. someone who brings light and positivity. not someone who’s surrounded by darkness like me.” he dropped his head into my hands while i just stared at him. 

“choi san that was the stupidest shit i’ve ever heard in my life.” he looked up at me in shock. “have you killed people? yes. are we gonna work on that? yes. does that mean that you don’t bring joy into people's lives? no. absolutely not. san you don’t see the admiration and pure happiness in the boys’ eyes when they see you. and you make me happier than i’ve ever been in my entire life. darkness or not you do have light inside of you. and i’m sorry that you’ve had to go through what you have but i believe you grow stronger every day because of those things. you’re a beautiful soul choi san.” he stared at me the entire way through my speech. when i got to the end he pulled me into him. i felt his tears soak into my (his) shirt but i didn’t care. it had probably been years since he’d let himself cry, at least in front of others. 

“thank you y/n. for everything you’ve done.” i pulled away and cupped his face, placing a kiss on his forehead. we both scoot down a little ways and i laid comfortably against his chest. his hands stroked up and down my back, careful to avoid my scars. i heard him sniffle again and looked up. 

“are you alright? do you need anything?” he shook his head and tightened his arms.

“i’m just happy you’re here with me now." i nodded and placed my head back down.

“and here i’ll stay.”


End file.
